Ziyech shines as Chelsea enjoys 3-0 win at Burnley

Kurt Zouma and Timo Werner were also on target as Chelsea enjoyed an easy 3-0 win at struggling Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

Published : Oct 31, 2020 22:50 IST

Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea battles for possession with James Tarkowski of Burnley during the Premier League match on Saturday.
Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea battles for possession with James Tarkowski of Burnley during the Premier League match on Saturday.
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Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea battles for possession with James Tarkowski of Burnley during the Premier League match on Saturday.

Hakim Ziyech shined and Kurt Zouma and Timo Werner were also on target as Chelsea enjoyed an easy 3-0 win at struggling Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea, after a long trip to Krasnodar in Russia in midweek, made five changes from Wednesday's Champions League starting line-up and made a bright start at Turf Moor.

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The impressive Ziyech drilled the ball home in the 26th minute from the edge of the box, after a smart passing move from Frank Lampard's team, to claim his first league goal for the club.

Burnley, who are without a win and have just a single point from their opening six games, struggled to cause any real problems for the Chelsea defence and manager Sean Dyche threw on an extra striker at the break with Jay Rodriguez coming on.

While that gave Burnley more of an attacking presence, Chelsea comfortably dealt with early second half pressure from the Clarets and then extended their lead in the 63rd minute when Zouma thundered in a header from a Mason Mount corner.

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The outcome was put beyond any doubt when Burnley midfielder Ashley Westwood's pass was intercepted by Reece James and Ziyech did well to feed Werner, the German confidently beating Nick Pope from inside the area.

Chelsea substitute Olivier Giroud had an effort ruled out for offside as the visitor looked to add to their tally.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said his team was finally finding the right balance between attack and defence.

Chelsea has now kept clean sheets in its last four games in all competitions. Lampard said experienced defender Thiago Silva and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy - both of whom joined the club in the close season - had added steel to the team's defence.

“There was certainly balance there and we worked on that,” Lampard told reporters on Saturday. “That's part of the process when we've brought in new players. When you're keeping clean sheets and scoring goals, you're going in the right direction.

“The clean sheets are a great sign of a spine in the team. Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy have massively helped that but so has the mentality of the group.”

'Positive day'

Lampard said he was not getting carried away after ending a run of two straight league draws. “I'm not going to jump up and down after a win like this, but it was a really positive day,” he added.

American forward Christian Pulisic suffered a hamstring issue during the warm-up at Turf Moor, ruling him out.

“He had a small sensation in his hamstring, so we had to pull him out. He couldn't play after feeling that... so we'll have to scan it. He's got fit and played three games so obviously he's frustrated,” Lampard added.

Victory lifted Chelsea to fourth in the table with 12 points from seven games.

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